eco-chic design

national stationery show NY: my top 8 eco-chic designs

Usually I visit the International Contemporary Furniture Fair at the Javit Center around this time of the year. But I wanted to keep it interesting for myself and went to the National Stationery Show this weekend instead. In case you can't view my slide show in your browser please make sure to visit the flickr photostream. It showcases my top eco-chic finds from the show but I'll also revisit some of them in more detail through follow-up posts soon. In the meantime I hope you'll get inspired by these eco-chic companies to green your gift giving and well wishes:

• Face Book Notebook by Sukie. All Sukie notebooks are made from 100% recycled paper.
• Eco-friendly correspondence by RedCamper. Really fun cards made with original family snapshots printed on FSC, carbon neutral, green e-certified paper. 
• Travel-inspired paper goods by Arboreal. Stylish stationery and wrapping paper printed on recycled papers using soy based inks. 
• Hand-illustrated note books by Kate & Birdie Paper Co. Super-cute paper goods that use recycled papers, vegetable-based inks, and plant-based biodegradable cello wrap. 
• Bamboo pen collection by EcoVerte. Eco-friendly pens made from sustainably-harvested, natural bamboo. 
• 100% recycled cotton canvas buckets by chewing the cud. Contemporary patterns combined with eco-friendly materials like 100% organic or recycled cotton and soy-based inks. 
• Reusable wine bags by MIXT Studio. Other eco-conscious ideas include clever gift bands printed on FSC-certified, recycled paper that double as gift cards. 
• Eco-friendly stationery products by Ecojot. With each Jumbo journal sold, Ecojot donates a school workbook to a child in Haiti.

Please let me know who your favorites were or which companies I should check out next time. Hope you enjoyed it.

Ford’s eco-chic car at Green Festival New York 2012

In the past I’ve test driven the Tesla Roadster at the LOHAS conference in Boulder and the smart fortwo in New York City. In hindsight I regret that I didn’t test drive the new Ford Focus Electric at the Green Festival. But as a Manhattanite I do everything via public transportation or on foot anyway. If I would be in the market for a stylish and energy-efficient car I would consider the new Ford C-Max Energi coming out this fall. It was showcased at the event and I have to say that the hybrid plug-in electric/gasoline car is very cool. What sets it apart from the C-MAX Hybrid is its plug-in capability. The C-MAX Energi has an external charge port and a larger lithium-ion battery. It can drive 21 miles on a full electric charge after which it switches automatically to a gas powered generator enabling it to run 480 miles on gas at 40 highway MPG.

Ford featured some installations that highlighted the use of sustainable materials in their cars. What caught my attention was a display that looked more like a farm stand than a disassembled car door. It had baskets with wheat straw, corn, soybeans, wood chips, and sweet potatoes to show how petroleum-based component are replaced with bio-based materials. For example door panels made from wheat straw replace polypropylene, armrest handles made from corn replace ABS, and upper armrest panels made from soy replace petroleum based foam. Wouldn’t it be cool if biodegradable cars would be next?

ECO-CHIC NYC: upcycled T-shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies

In my ongoing effort to green my life it has been quite challenging to find contemporary looking eco-apparel. That’s why I was glad to discover Brooklyn based Playback and their sustainable clothes made out of recycled materials at the Green Festival in New York. As featured in my slideshow I like the whimsical graphics of Playback’s T-shirts but even more so their versatile hoodies in dual-colored fabric. Playback’s eco-friendly T-shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies are made from materials such as post-industrial cotton scraps, plastic and glass bottles that are combined with recycled cotton or polyester to add softness and durability. As part of the production process Playback sorts the recyclable scraps by color to avoid using extra dye. A demo at the Green Festival showed how post-industrial fibers create waste specific colors such as "Soda Bottle Green" or "Water Cooler Blue" that hint at the garments former life. According to Playback each recycled PET bottle t-shirt is made from the equivalent of 8.5 twenty oz plastic bottles and each recycled t-shirt of about .4 lbs of textile scraps. All post-industrial materials are collected, sorted, and spun into yarn in the USA. Afterwards they are turned into contemporary eco-apparel in Guatemala. The environmental benefits of using recycled materials in fashion are many. Obviously waste is kept out of landfills but also fewer natural resources are depleted. Who else do you know that creates contemporary eco-design in the New York area? I would love to hear about it through comments or twitter.